Flow-distributing device and an air-intake screen provided with such a device

ABSTRACT

A flow-distributing device comprises a perforated plate (1) which forms a defining wall of a passage or chamber arranged to accommodate a flow of fluid and provided with at least one further defining wall. Deflecting means (1a; 3) extend into the path of said flow adjacent the perforations (2) which are evenly distributed over at least a part of said wall. The deflecting means divide the flow into a plurality of part-flows which pass in mutually the same direction to the other side of the plate via the perforations. The deflecting means may comprise separate nozzles (3) or lips (1a) which have been pressed out of the material when forming the holes. The flow-distributing device may be incorporated in an air-supply device for a furnace, a fluidized bed, an air cooler or heater or the like. In one important application it is used in a substantially box-shaped air-intake screen (10) having a perforated side surface (10b) and an air-supply pipe (11). In this case, the flow-distributing device forms an intermediate wall in the screen, said wall being located at a distance from the perforated side surface to define a pressure chamber (9) on the opposite side of the intermediate wall. In order to dampen any sound which may be generated, the distributing device may be joined to the interior of the screen by means of oblique surface (13) opposite the air-supply pipe. The oblique surface may have a covering of sound-insulating material (14).

The present invention relates generally to flow-distribution devices and also to screens provided with such devices, said screens being intended for for example working locations such that air can be introduced thereinto in a draught-free manner.

In German Open-to-public-print No. 2.754.699 there is described an air-intake device in the form of a compact screen through which large quantities of fresh air can be supplied to a working location without creating draughts.

The screens are arranged to be mounted on floors, adjacent to walls, or to be incorporated in ceiling structures. As a result of the particular design of the screen, the air is so evenly distributed that it is possible to stand close to the screen without experiencing a draught, despite the large quantities of air passing through the screen.

Because the air is passed to the room at a rate of flow which is suitably less than 0.3 m/sec., the flow of air will be laminar and have a low kinetic energy. Therefore, the air shall not have a temperature in excess of the temperature of the air in the location. Instead, the working location can be heated by means of, for example, air-heaters or radiators. Cool air can be introduced to overheated working locations through the screen without creating draughts.

Screens of an identical or similar design can be combined to form screen structures around different kinds of working locations. These working locations can also be separated acoustically by means of noise dampening components. The screened structures also eliminate undesirable air-flows, such as floor draughts.

With the use of simple connecting devices, the screens can be readily moved from one working location to another. Alternatively, attachment means can be used.

Screens of the aforedescribed type may also be used in, for example, spray boxes and sand-blasting booths, in the food industry and refrigeration chambers, or, for example, in large kitchens where said screens replace perforated ceilings. Other examples where such screens can be used include conference rooms, meeting halls, cinemas and theatres.

Such screens known hitherto incorporate an air-distributing device in the form of a perforated tube. There may be arranged in each of the perforations a respective nozzle which projects into the flow path of the air in a manner such as to divide said flow into a corresponding number of equally large uniformly divided part-flows which exit transversally of the direction of flow of the main air flow and leave the tube radially relative to its axis. The nozzles are suitably so designed that the rate of flow of said part-flows corresponds substantially to the rate of flow of the main flow upstream of the first nozzle.

A tubular air-intake device of the aforedescribed type can per se be used for different purposes, e.g. for creating hot air curtains and the like.

Swiss Pat. No. 584.872 and Danish Pat. No. 70.973 describe rather complicated flow-distribution devices having the purpose to create part-flows of varying magnitude.

One object of the present invention is to provide a simpler flow-distribution device which may either be used separately for different purposes or which may be incorporated in a screen provided with a perforated side surface and intended for the aforedescribed purposes.

In its widest aspect a flow-distributing device according to the invention comprises a perforated plate which forms a defining wall of a passage or a chamber having at least one further defining wall, said chamber receiving a flow of fluid and exhibiting adjacent said perforations deflecting means which project uniformly into the path of said fluid flow in a manner such as to divide said flow into a plurality of equally large part-flows which depart through the perforations to the other side of the defining wall.

A flow-distributing device having the form of a perforated plate in accordance with the invention can be produced at a much lower cost than, for example, a tube, and enables a flow, for example, of air to be effectively divided and effectively deflected in given directions over a large area, which in many cases is a desideratum or a requirement. Thus, a distributing device according to the invention can be used in a refrigerating chamber for distributing cold air over food-stuff. In many cases a uniform and relatively high flow rate is required, this being achieved by suitably forming the holes and the deflecting means.

Preferably, the deflecting means project a distance from the surface of the plate substantially corresponding to the diameter of the perforations.

In practice, the diameter of the perforations may vary between 4 and 40 mm in dependence upon the actual purpose of the flow distribution device. The distance between the perforations may vary between 20 and 100 mm. Thus, in a supply screen for fresh air to a working place the diameter may typically be 5-10 mm and the distance between the perforations typically 20-40 mm whereas a flow distribution device for a furnace, a fluidized bed or a cooling apparatus may comprise a perforated plate having a hole diameter of 25-35 mm and a distance between the holes of 70-100 mm.

The deflecting means may comprise nozzles which are inserted in holes punched in the plates and which have obliquely extending inlets.

Alternatively the deflecting means may comprise lips pressed out from the plate when forming the holes therein. It will be understood that this latter type of deflecting means can be readily formed in the plate and that the cost of the distributing device as a whole will be low, since no material other than that from which the plate is made is required.

By providing the deflecting means with a substantially cup-shaped obliquely extending inlet, the same pressure is obtained in all the holes or openings when converting the dynamic pressure of the flow to a static pressure in the opening itself. A large number of identical part-flows depart through the openings in a direction at right angles to the direction of flow of the original flow.

In a preferred embodiment, the distributing device is incorporated in an air-intake device having the form of a substantially box-shaped screen having a perforated side surface and an air-supply means, the distributing device forming a partition wall in the screen at a distance from said perforated side surface, thereby to form a defining wall of a pressure chamber on the opposite side of the partition wall.

As previously mentioned, initially the whole of the flow supplied is distributed over the whole of the perforated area of the plate. Since the deflecting means have obliquely extending inlets, the pressure at each opening will be mutually the same in conjunction with the conversion of the dynamic pressure of the flow to a static pressure. By suitable selection of the number of holes in the distributing device, a considerable reduction in the rate of flow can be obtained at a distance from the distributing device.

When the part-flows subsequently arrive at the perforated side surface of the screen, at which side surface a further, considerable part of the kinetic energy of the part-flows is lost, the result is that a final flow of low velocity departs from the screen. Thus, there is a co-action between the perforated intermediate walls and the perforated side wall of the screen.

A preferred embodiment of a screen of the kind described, in which an air-supply means in the form of a tube, a hose or the like is passed through an end wall extending at right angles to the perforated side surface is characterised in that the distributing device--i.e. the intermediate wall--is joined to the region of the side edge of said end wall by means of an oblique surface.

This oblique surface has the double purpose of distributing the flow of air entering the screen via the supply means uniformly over the whole area of the pressure chamber defined by the intermediate wall, and of dampening by reflection, a substantial part of the sound, such as fan-sound and the like, generated in conjunction with the air supply.

A further improvement in this latter respect can be obtained by covering the oblique surface with a sound-insulating material in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The side surface of the pressure chamber opposite the intermediate wall may also be completely or partially covered with a sound-insulating material.

By selecting the distance between the holes in the intermediate wall serving as the distributing device in relation to the distance of said intermediate wall from the front wall of the air-supply means--i.e. the perforated front wall of the screen--the air can be uniformly distributed over the perforated plate. Experiments have shown that the distance between the intermediate wall and the front plate should not be less than the distance between the holes in the intermediate wall.

The intermediate wall is preferably arranged in the screen in a manner which enables said wall to be readily dismantled therefrom. By arranging for the intermediate wall to be readily dismantled from the screen--which in practice also applies to the perforated front wall of the screen--cleaning of the intermediate wall can be readily effected when so required. In certain cases--for example when a screen constructed in accordance with the invention is used in operating theatres, laboratories etc.--it may be an advantage, or even a necessity, to disinfect the intermediate wall. This task is greatly facilitated when said wall can be removed from the screen.

A further advantage afforded by an air-intake device according to the invention is that the flow to the screen can be readily and accurately measured by means of measuring the pressure in the region of the bottom of the air-intake device, where the velocity of the main flow is negligible. This is not possible with air-intake devices of known construction in which filters are used to distribute the air, since the flow through said filter decreases with time as a result of clogging of the filter.

In the case of an air-intake device of known kind having a side wall in the form of a perforated plate it is not possible to measure the pressure accurately, since the pressure drop over the perforated plate is normally very low, e.g. in practice about 10 pascals.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to a number of exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a perforated flow-distributing device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partially cut away perspective view of an air-intake device having the form of a compact screen in which an air-distributing means forms an intermediate wall, said air-distributing means being a slightly modified version of that shown in FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a section in the region of a hole in a distributing device of the kind which forms an intermediate wall in the air-intake device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a deflecting means having the form of a nozzle arranged to be received in a hole in a distributing device according to any one of the other Figures.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the nozzle shown in FIG. 6 and illustrates the air flow through said nozzle.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a flow distributing device 1 in the form of a substantially planar plate is provided with a plurality of uniformly spaced perforations or holes 2. The holes are formed by punching, which is effected in a manner such that the material deformed outwardly when punching the holes remains in the region of the lower part of respective holes to form a lip-like or cup-shaped deflecting means 1a for deflecting, e.g., a flow of air passing on the corresponding side of the plate. Each such deflecting means projects a distance from the plate corresponding to the diameter of the hole and deflects a part-flow from the main flow, said part-flows being deflected through 90° and exiting via the perforations at right angles to the plane of the plate. Each of the perforations is then arranged to divide the main flow into part-flows of equal magnitude.

The distributing device illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is intended to form a defining wall in a passage or chamber (not shown) provided with at least one further defining wall located at a distance from the plate 1 in a manner such that the flow passes between the two walls.

The distributing device can be used, for example, to supply cold air directly to a refrigerating chamber or for supplying hot air, for example, to a convection furnace or to a space to be heated, such as a drying chamber. In all cases there is obtained uniform distribution of the supplied air over the whole surface of the plate 1, even though the main flow on the side thereof provided with deflecting means has a high velocity.

In its simplest form, the distributing device may comprise a metal plate with holes punched therein, although it will be understood that plates made, for example, of a plastics material which have been given the desired form during their manufacture can also be used.

It will also be understood that although the plate 1 is preferably planar, it need not necessarily be so, but may be corrugated, folded, ribbed or the like.

The lip-shaped deflecting means 1a may be replaced by nozzles inserted in the perforations 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates an air-intake device in the form of a compact screen having a perforated side wall in which a distributing device constructed along the same principles as those illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 forms an intermediate wall which, together with the rear wall of the screen, defines a pressure chamber to which a flow of air is passed, said flow being divided into part-flows by the deflecting means of the intermediate wall, said part-flows departing to the space between the intermediate wall and the perforated front surface of the screen via the perforations.

The screen, which is generally designated 10 in FIG. 4, has a parallelepipedic shape with a rear side surface 10a and a front perforated side surface 10b. The end walls of the screen are referenced 10c, 10d, 10e and 10f. Fresh air is supplied to the screen through a supply pipe 11 which passes through the end wall 10c.

A distributing device in the form of a perforated plate 1 forms an intermediate wall in the screen. The intermediate wall defines, together with the rear side wall 10a, a pressure chamber 9 which accommodates the air flow entering the screen through the supply pipe 11. The intermediate wall 1 is joined to the region of the side edge between the front surface 10b and the other end wall 10c of the screen by means of an oblique surface 13. The purpose of this oblique surface is to distribute the air flow over the whole inner width of the screen and, at the same time, to dampen any sound, by reflecting sound waves down towards the interior of the screen. The oblique surface is suitably covered with a sound-absorbing material 14. The rear wall 10a may also suitably be coated with a sound-absorbing material 15, thereby to further improve the sound-damping effect.

The intermediate wall 1 joins the front wall 10b of the screen via a reinforcing strip 12 extending at right angles to the plane of the wall.

The vertical sectional view of a part of the intermediate wall illustrated in FIG. 5 shows how a lip- or cup-shaped deflecting means 1a deflects a part-flow from the main flow present in the pressure chamber, said part-flow departing through a corresponding hole 2 to the space between the intermediate wall 1 and the front perforated side surface 10b of the screen. The flow which finally departs through the perforations of the front wall will be extremely uniformly distributed over the whole side surface and has a very low velocity such that a totally draught-free air supply is obtained.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate a nozzle which is arranged to be inserted in a respective perforation in the screen 1 and which replaces a lip 1a. The nozzle is referenced 3 in FIG. 6 and has an obliquely extending inlet 3a and an inner partition wall 3b, the axial lengths of which are shorter than the longest length of the nozzle, said partition wall dividing the nozzle into parts or chambers arranged to accommodate substantially equal part-flows. In the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle 3 has partition walls which form angles of about 120° with each other. The deflecting function of the nozzles is illustrated in FIG. 7.

An air-supply device of the kind illustrated in FIG. 4 has the following advantages:

1. Compact design

2. Flexibility

3. Uniform air distribution

4. Perpendicular outflow

5. Effective damping of fan noise

6. Low natural-sound generation

7. No clogging, or only slight clogging

8. Can be readily dismantled for cleaning purposes

9. Enables the flow of air to be readily measured, by measuring the pressure in the vicinity of the bottom part of the screen.

In practice the dimensions of the screen are suitably 1×2 m with a depth of 300 mm. It will be understood, however, that deviations from the standard measurements can be made in dependence upon prevailing circumstances. The screen may have different kinds of attachment means depending upon wheather the screen shall be placed on the floor or mounted on a wall or incorporated in a ceiling, or is to be joined together with other similar screens etc. To this end, the screen is thus suitably provided with replaceable attachment means.

A distributing device according to the invention can be used for distributing other gases than air, e.g. nitrogen gas for cooling purposes or for creating an inert atmosphere; oxygen gas for generating an oxydising atmosphere or the like. 

I claim:
 1. An air supply device comprising a substantially parallelepipedic screen having a rear side surface and a front perforated side surface, means for supplying fresh air to the interior of said screen, and a flow-distributing device forming an intermediate, planar plate in the screen, said flow-distributing device being arranged such that the supplied fresh air flows parallel to one side of said planar plate of said device, the plate having substantially uniformly distributed perforations and carrying deflecting means projecting from the one side of the plate into the air flow for dividing the air flow into a plurality of parallel part-flows of equal magnitude passing through the plate, said intermediate plate, together with the rear side surface, forming a pressure chamber for accommodating the air flow supplied via the air-supply means, said parallel part-flows of supplied air passing to a space between the other side of said plate and the front perforated side surface of said screen and passing through said front perforated side surface, said flow-distributing device coacting with said front perforated side surface so that low velocity part-flows depart from the screen.
 2. An air supply device according to claim 1, wherein the deflecting means project from one surface of the plate a distance substantially corresponding to the diameter of the perforations.
 3. An air supply device according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the perforations has a value between 4 and 40 mm and the distance between the perforations a value between 20 and 100 mm.
 4. An air supply device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the intermediate plate and the perforated side surface of the screen is at least equal to the distance between the perforations in the intermediate plate.
 5. An air supply device according to claim 1, wherein said intermediate plate extends parallel with said side surface.
 6. An air supply device according to claim 1, wherein said deflecting means comprises nozzles inserted into said perforations.
 7. An air supply device according to claim 6, wherein said nozzles are divided by partition walls into chambers arranged to accommodate substantially equal part-flows.
 8. An air supply device comprising a substantially parallelepipedic screen having a rear side surface and a front perforated side surface, a flow-distributing device having a planar plate extending parallel with said rear and front side surfaces and forming an intermediate wall in the screen, and means for supplying fresh air to the interior of said screen, said flow-distributing device being arranged such that the supplied fresh air flows parallel to one side of the planar plate of said device, the plate having substantially uniformly distributed perforations and carrying deflecting means projecting from the one side of the plate into the air flow for dividing the air flow into a plurality of parallel part-flows of equal magnitude passing through the plate, said planar plate, together with the interior of said rear side surface, forming a pressure chamber for accommodating the air flow supplied via the air-supply means, said parallel part-flows of supplied air passing to a space between the other side of said plate and the front perforated side surface of said screen and being uniformly distributed over the front perforated side surface, an oblique plate being positioned between an edge of said planar plate and air entering said pressure chamber for uniformly distributing air within said pressure chamber.
 9. An air supply device according to claim 8, wherein the oblique plate has a covering of sound-insulating material. 